Ann's Visit

I'm not sure where the time goes or what I do with it, as is shown by how long it has taken me to put this post together. I started last week and am just now finishing it. I feel like I'm living my life in 2-hour increments! I work on one project/task for a couple of hours and then have to leave it to work on something else, which is not a very productive way of doing things! I keep telling myself that all of that will change after Nov. 6th; if not, I can't even think about it.

Needless to say, it was great to see Ann and we have a nice visit. We spent two night in St Augustine, which was new to both me and her. October was a perfect time to go as the weather was good and there were not too many tourists. We stayed at a beachside motel and the sea, sand, and surf were fantastic, with huge waves and low-hanging clouds. it really was pretty. 

We took the usual city tour for a nice overview and then walked around for the rest of the day. Old town lends itself to lots of walking. The Lightener Museum in what was formerly the Alcazar Hotel. After a while, you begin to think that Lightner collected everything he saw, and then some!! Even so, I would say that there was something for everyone!

The real attraction was Flagler College, which was the Ponce de Leon Hotel back in the day. The architecture, grounds, and interior were fabulous and it was easy to imagine what it was as a hotel. The electricity was installed by Thomas Edison and the windows and chandeliers by Tiffany!! Electricity was so new that people were afraid to use it and hired "switchers" to turn it on and off. It really was impressive and was built in 18 months....hard to believe. Late in the day, we found a nice table on the balcony of a restaurant looking out over the water. The food was tasty and it was a nice way to end the day.

There is a story behind this photo.
The trip to St. Augustine made the week seem to fly by, though we did have some time for retail therapy. We were browsing through The Loft when we ran into the best saleswomen in the world! She very pleasantly hovered around to be sure I had everything I needed to try on this outfit. The minute I stepped out of the dressing room, there were oohs and aahs all around, and a rush for the camera! I just looked so good that she had to post it on their Instagram page!  Needless to say, I bought the outfit - my first venture into leggings. The vest/wrap is actually a scarf, tied to make this drapey cover. I was actually quite amazed by it. Anyway, we carried on to SteinMart where Ann was looking for golf shirts for Martin. I wandered around a bit and found another trendy outfit that I liked and bought. As we were walking out, I told Ann that I really liked the outfit but was a little disappointed that there were no cameras, Instagram posting, and so forth!! LOL!!

Ann, Rhonda, Me, Reyna, Melodee,
Lynn, Chris, Kieran, and Tippy

I think Ann was hoping to avoid all politics, but no such luck. I invited my fellow political junkies to join us for dinner and everyone was able to attend!! We had Thai food and the company and conversation were lots of fun. I told them that they had all become recurring characters on my blog and they may want to meet one of the readers!  We even managed to cover a few topics other than politics!

We ended the visit with dinner at the Boathouse. It was a nice evening and we thought we were early enough to get a seat outside, but no luck, The hostess did say the tall tables in the bar area were first-come-first-served, so we headed out there, just as someone was leaving a first-row table overlooking the water, giving us a perfect view!

The time had passed much too quickly but it was a good time! It was certainly a nice break for me and revitalized me for the final push to Nov. 6th.

Since Ann's visit, I've been busy with Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate, a rally for James Smith, who is running for governor, a relaxing evening at the beach with Chris and her friend Sue, Melyssa's Progressive lunch group, hospice visits, and the 3rd. annual Vegfest. I also attended the definitive card writing (for Democrat political candidates) party. It was in a beautiful home on the May River, and there must have been 40-50 people there - and they were having a second party that night!! We wrote 1000 cards that will be mailed to people to remind them to vote. The special part of this was that the food was outstanding and the entertainment (yes, entertainment) was Lavon Stevens, a well known and liked local singer/musician. It was lots of fun.

In the midst of all this, my buddy Melodee finalized the sale of her house and moved (as of 10/19) to St. Louis to be near her daughter. We didn't have enough time together at the end, between her moving schedule and my cavorting, and I certainly will miss her. We still had things we wanted to do but just ran out of time. I hope our paths will cross again.

Politically, I've changed gears but am giving it an all-out push between now and Nov. 6th. I've given up on correspondence/communication with legislators. Lindsey Graham has totally gone to the dark side, with a vengeance. Scott and Sanford were always useless so that only left the handful of reasonable sounding republicans (Flake, Corker, Collins, etc.). The Kavanaugh atrocity confirmed that only one, Lisa Murkowski, actually has the strength to do the right thing. So, I am focusing locally. This past weekend I canvassed in Bluffton and plan to do it on Saturday and/or Sunday every weekend until the election. I wasn't sure I could do it, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. At least I will be doing something that might help.

Scanner did not pick up details of the
card. It was much nicer
than it appears
here.

I hope Chris won't mind my sharing this, but it meant so much to we old-timers at Drinking Liberally. She made a lovely memorial card, which she distributed at a recent meeting, along with buying drinks in honor of Larry. We found it very touching and were honored to know that he enjoyed our group so much. Even in his last days in the hospital, he asked Chris "is tonight Drinking Liberally"! This photo was taken at our last meeting before his passing and it was such a good night, with many new members, that we went around the group and introduced ourselves. Larry confessed, in his inimitable way, that he had once been a Republican! We all delighted in his repentance and shared a good laugh. That was Larry! Such a lovable, informed, "curmudgeonly" character will certainly be missed in our group.

Finally, last but not least, I want to apologize to all whom I have neglected in the last few weeks, especially those whose birthdays I didn't acknowledge. I promise that I didn't forget, I was just in a "swivet", as we say in the South, I was planning to send e-cards with a note. All was on schedule with the prep for Ann's visit when my washing machine died and I developed a nasty looking sebaceous cyst on the front of my shoulder. The cyst suddenly got to the point that I have to have an unplanned doctor's appointment....and the washing machine had to be repaired.....so, it was frantic. So, I hope you will forgive me and that you celebrated well. I wish you all the best in the coming year.

With heartfelt appreciation for your friendship, 

a Belated Happy Birthday to 

Carolyn, Laney, and Sandra.

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